I'm just going to quit telling you lovely people I'm trying for more regular updates. I seem to be incapable of delivering on that. I did want to post at least a little something, since today is my five-year anniversary with AFF! It's not what I really wanted, but I thought a look at Jongin actually working, while Kyungsoo (and Tansy, the little blonde shadow) came for a visit. Fixing fences, teaching manners to horses, and watching over the herds is pretty boring I thought, so I picked something else since it's not really time to write a rodeo scene yet, though it's coming. I haven't really mentioned time of year, well beyond the weather. Kyungsoo and Jongin met and married at the end of January or beginning of Feburary. I never did anything with Valentine's Day because I hate it with the passion of a thousand burning suns so just ignore it. Yes there's a reason, and no I won't share why. Anyway, in the story it is now June. Plenty of time for Soo to recover and have his garden growing well, and Jongin just starting to get into rodeo season. I have read so much on horses, rodeos, and Nevada climate, plant life, and native animals for this story I feel like I could give a comprehensive report :) It's been interesting, even though I firmly believe horses belong on one side of the fence and me on the other. I had one stand on my foot once when I was in sandals, and I haven't wanted to get close since. However, I couldn't get images of Jongin in a cowboy hat and ed plaid shirt and faded jeans, or Kyungsoo as a kind of farmer (blame, or thank Exo's first appearance on Knowing Brother for that one) but with a ridiculous hat out of my head.

Three Months Later

                Jongin sighed and tried to make himself more comfortable against the stall door. Most of last year’s bred mares had already dropped their foals over a month ago, but a couple of the younger ones who were NOT supposed to get pregnant yet had gotten loose thanks to one of Peaches’ escape attempts and were “serviced” by who knew what since they were finally caught miles from the ranch. Since it was his dumb horse who had caused the problem, he was elected to watch once the pair, twins named Fire and Ice finally showed signs of foaling. He had also just started the summer’s rodeo circuit, just a few minor appearances in order to start drumming up business for later in the season. It still meant climbing onto horses he didn’t know and trying not to get killed, and since it was still early his muscles were ing.

                Thank God for Kyungsoo the cowboy thought, unscrewing his thermos and pouring himself some coffee. As busy as his husband now was with his garden, helping Cook, starting to gather what he needed to turn the property he’d bought into his dream business, keeping the now five-year-old Tansy out of everyone’s way, working with the dogs, he always dropped whatever he was doing to give Jongin a massage or make him something, or just snuggle after their respective long days. He’d hit the ground running as soon as the doctor lifted his restrictions, and seemed happy. His ridiculously puffy winter coat had given way to his equally ridiculous blue sunhat, by now a familiar sight around Holland Ranch or in town.

                The dogs were a lot less destructive now that it was warm enough to keep them busy. Double D had unfortunately met his end by managing to work the deeply buried spike of his chain free while Alice was heading to the vet with a cut on her paw, and while trying to keep up with Kyungsoo’s truck got hit by a car speeding down the other way. He was now buried Yeol’s yard, the bar owner upset over the loss of Dumb Dog even though he’d been the one to give him up. Jongin kind of missed him too as stupid as he’d been, and Kyungsoo seemed more or less neutral, saying it would be nice not to have to fill in holes anymore. The cowboy also happened to have found his husband crying in the lean to while putting away Double D’s collar and chain, but would never admit to anything. Alice, paw healed and advanced obedience course under her collar now trotted around after Kyungsoo like the good girl she was and was soon to start agility training, and had a small herd of her own to look after in Tansy’s kittens who liked to play outside and poke their noses into everything.  Ollie was getting regular lessons in how to be a proper herd dog since he was big enough not to get lost among kicked up dust and was already a big help with the new batch of brats Jongin was about to start breaking. They weren’t old enough to ride yet, but they could learn manners and start getting used to the various pieces of tack, as well as other animals. Boss Holland had never thought it particularly necessary to have dogs around the horses, since he was used to them being around smaller animals like sheep and goats, but seeing how well Ollie had taken to them was reconsidering. At first the couple was surprised the pair had been willing to be separated since it had been such a big deal to them before, but guessed keeping them busy helped keep the anxiety at bay, and their joyful bark-filled reunions every night just made the humans smile.

                Jongin snorted to himself as he sipped his coffee and thought. Less than six months ago he never would’ve thought his life was going to be different. He’d expected to just do the same things day in and day out, patiently squirreling away as much money as he could in his bank account until he could go back to Korea out of Taemin’s reach, do his army duty, then open his dance studio. Now he was a married man with a real home in Kyungsoo and the dogs, and was expecting the paperwork to apply to become an American citizen any day now. It was still a bit early, but he wanted time to study it and see what all he needed to do. Everything was online, but his knowledge of written English wasn’t as good as his verbal skills so had requested a copy in Korean to make sure he understood, though he intended to apply in English. His darling husband had of course offered to help, but this one thing he wanted to do himself since it was only happening because of his marriage. Kyungsoo had just smiled, kissed his cheek, and said he understood. That was one of the many things the cowboy loved about his husband, his acceptance of everything, even Jongin’s stubborn streak.

                “Hey Love, anything exciting yet?” Kyungsoo’s voice interrupted Jongin’s thoughts, and the cowboy looked up to see his husband peeking over the stall door, a large covered insulated bowl in his hands.

                “Not yet. Ice seems a bit restless, but she’s also not a big fan of being locked up so it’s hard to say if it’s that, or showtime. What have you got?” Jongin stood up, brushed straw and off his , and went to let Kyungsoo and his bowl inside the big double stall.

                “Soup. I’m trying to fine-tune a recipe for the business and who better to help let me know if it’s hearty enough for around here than my very own human garbage disposal? Plus, I wanted to know if you needed more coffee yet and how Fire and Ice were getting on with the foals. Oh, and someone was worried about you.”

                Jongin wondered who Kyungsoo meant, only to get startled as soon as he opened the door. Tansy, clad in pink bunny pajamas and slippers and holding a thermos popped up from behind his husband with a mock growl and a giggle. “Hi Kai! How are the horthes?”

                The cowboy took a moment to let his heart calm down. Normally Tansy would have been in bed hours ago, and Jongin wondered at this nighttime excursion since the Hollands were pretty firm on the little girl getting enough sleep.

                “What are you doing up at this time of night Tans? Shouldn’t you be in bed?” he finally asked, taking the thermos Tansy held up to him. “The horses are fine, no signs of either baby yet though.”

                “Granma and granpa thaid I could help Kunthu thince I took a real long nap today. It ith not that late.” Tansy’s speech teacher had worked hard with her and some of her words were starting to become clearer, but a hearing check, routine before she started kindergarten prompted further testing. She had an appointment coming up in the city with an ENT and audiologist, both of whom were specialists in hearing loss. Her regular doctor had suspected as much, but she’d been too young when her hearing was tested before to be sure he was getting real results, and not just the answers of a distracted and bored little girl. At least the school was coming around and quit insisting she be placed in special ed because of her speech, especially since she’d scored so high when they tested her. Her grandparents and doctor (and if they wished the eyewitness testimony of everyone else at Holland Ranch) provided ample documentation that she functioned just fine how she was, including understanding Spanish even if she couldn’t speak much yet. She was beginning to understand Korean as well, after pestering “Kunthu” to teach her while she helped him with the garden or cooking since “Kai and Elfie” talked too fast, and the short man would slow down and enunciate well enough for her to be able to follow when she asked what things were called. If she did have hearing loss, she’d be accommodated to the best of the school’s ability in the regular classroom.

                Jongin pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time. Tansy was right. It wasn’t as late as he’d thought it was. It was just sort of blurry, sitting there in the dim light with his thoughts, waiting on something that might or might not happen.

                “We weren’t sure if you were out of coffee yet so that’s what’s in the thermos, and there are a couple of the big water bottles in my backpack in a probably futile attempt to save your kidneys” Kyungsoo explained as he gingerly set Jongin’s rifle on the hooks outside the stall so it couldn’t go off and accidentally shoot a horse or one of them and slipped the backpack straps off his shoulders and handing it over. His husband hadn’t been thrilled with his lessons even after his prior threat to his ex, leaving the cowboy to bribe him with kisses and promises of other things when they were alone, but took to them well enough despite his concerns over his eyesight and actually using the “death stick”. The fact he was calm and steady helped a lot during target practice. He also had a short blonde cheerleader, Tansy standing well out of harm’s way and squealing in delight whenever he hit what he was aiming for.

                “Thanks Soo” Jongin replied, pulling his husband in so he could peck Kyungsoo on the lips. “I appreciate you coming out to see me.”

                “How much longer? Any idea?”

                Jongin shrugged. “I wish I had the answer to that. It’s hard to say since we don’t know exactly when it happened, but it should be fairly soon. They were only gone a few days. It’s their first foals though, so much like people it makes it hard to predict. Doc is only a phone call away if anything unexpected comes up.”

                Kyungsoo and Tansy stayed for a while, til the little girl started yawning. Then there were hugs, and kisses between the two men before the visitors said their goodbyes and left, the short man once again shouldering the rifle with a look of disgust. Jongin saw them out, then settled back in his prior position to eat his soup and keep watch.

                For a couple of hours nothing happened, then both Fire and Ice started getting really restless but not bothering to stand. Jongin wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but suddenly he had a mess of fluids and was holding’s Ice’s slippery newborn foal as she broke through and took her first breaths. He barely had time to clean her umbilical stump and drag her toward Ice’s head for her mother to when he ended up in the exact same position with Fire and her foal. Two beautiful little fillies, both looking to be a rich chestnut, in contrast to their mothers. Fire was red roan, while Ice was pure white, hence their names. The newborns were soon standing while their mothers waited to deliver the placentas before following the babies now eagerly looking for their first milk. The cowboy was a mess of sticky fluids and dirty straw, but there was no point in trying to clean up yet. Once the foals had their fill, he’d let the new families out to the attached “medical yard”, that was kept well seeded and watered just for times like this, so there wouldn’t be so much dust to kick up. Only then could he clean up the mess, sanitize the stall, then shower before heading home to cuddle with Kyungsoo. In the meantime, he texted both Doc and Boss Holland to let them know Fire and Ice had delivered safely, and since the foals looked so much alike, he’d make a temporary mark in each of their left ears once they dried, just to avoid any possible confusion. It wasn’t likely, but it had happened once or twice before so it was best to be safe.

                Eventually, a tired, achy, filthy, caffeine-jittery Jongin was done, just as the sun started to show its face. The foursome was in the medical yard, the newborns investigating the green, tickly stuff before they all settled to get some much-deserved sleep. The disgusting remains of the happy event were shoveled up and wheeled to one of the pits to be burned before they started to attract flies. He wouldn’t have to stay and watch the fire so it wouldn’t spread though. Boss would make the announcement at breakfast, and there was always someone willing to do the chore. He just scrubbed down and disinfected the double stall so it would be ready for next time, before heading to the barn shower to toss his filthy clothes in a bag so he could take them home to wash, rinse his boots so he wasn’t tracking gunk on the clean cabin floor and risking Kyungsoo’s wrath, then stand under the hot water and clean himself until he felt somewhat human. He roughly toweled himself off and pulled on the sweat suit and clean socks he’d brought, shoved his feet into his now damp boots, picked up his dirty laundry, the bag with his dishes and thermoses, and his hat and headed home, whistling.